German court orders return of ISIS members detained in Syrian camp

The German government had refused to bring back a mother over security fears

The health of the children is said to be suffering in Syria's Al Hol camp. AFP

A German court has for the first time ordered the government to bring home an ISIS member and her children who are in a Syrian displacement camp.

The German foreign ministry had initially said it would only allow the children, aged eight, seven and one, to be repatriated to Germany because of the atrocious conditions at the Al Hol camp.

But the government had refused to allow the mother to return because she was deemed too much of a security risk, Suddeutsche Zeitung reported. It was, however, found by the court that it was impossible to send the children back to Germany without their mother. The family is from Lower Saxony.

Lawyer Dirk Schoenian, who initiated the proceedings, said the ruling showed the foreign office could not shirk its “political responsibility and the legal responsibility”.

Thousands of foreign ISIS members and their families are languishing in jails run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Several children have already been returned home.

Last month it was reported more than 160 Germans who travelled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS remain unaccounted for, while around another 120 were held in prison abroad.